Probably within the hour, the Irving City Council will meet in private session to discuss a draft contract that would make Chris Hillman its next city manager.

The council voted nearly unanimously last month to name Hillman, the city manager of Surprise, Ariz., its lone finalist.

Hillman would replace Tommy Gonzalez, who stepped down last fall, and interim City Manager Steve McCullough. A person who has seen the contract said Hillman would earn about $20,000 a month, plus standard employee benefits, and start in early August.

The council will vote on the contract Thursday. The only opposition to picking Hillman last month was Joe Putnam. The council member told me this week that “it’s a very fair contract for the city and the employee." He plans to vote for it, so I expect that Hillman's hire will be unanimous.